Chapter 32

For a moment, I stand perfectly still, as if my lack of movement will somehow make Vi stop noticing me. But of course, that doesn’t work because I hear the sharp click of her high heels growing closer, echoing on the concrete. Her voice is soft but concerned. “Are you okay?”
I can hear the pity in her tone. Gosh, I feel so pathetic. She must have seen me begging for the job.
She caught me at my lowest, right when I thought I was alone. Well, at least it wasn’t Ethan. See? It can always get worse.
Quickly, I shove my phone into my pocket, wiping away my tears discreetly with the back of my hand before she catches them, too. Not that she doesn’t notice I am crying. From the tone of her voice, she knows.
“Yeah, uh,” I clear my throat, trying to sound casual. “I’m fine. How have you been?” I turn to face her with a forced smile. Vi’s eyebrows knit together, clearly not buying it. “I’m fine. What are you doing here?” she asks. Her eyes dart around, not seeing my beat-up old car anywhere nearby. Her lips are set in a thin line.
She’s probably still mad at me for the way I’ve been replying to her. As soon as I left her mansion, she tried to call me to convince me to come back, and when I realized she was too convincing, I started to dodge her calls and only replied with texts. She has no clue that her charming older brother practically tossed me out.
“I just had a job interview,” I reveal, biting my lip, but I don’t tell her the outcome. She probably already knows anyway.
She tilts her head, looking genuinely puzzled. “I didn’t know you were looking for a job,” she says, shifting the boutique bags from her hands to rest on her arm with effortless grace.
“Yeah, it was kind of sudden. You see,” I say, looking at the ground, “My boss... well, my ex-best friend’s father—”
“The bitch that your ex-husband cheated on you with,” Vi finishes, nodding as she’s piecing everything together.
I honestly don’t even know why I open up to her so easily when I usually keep things to myself. But somehow, with Vi, the words just spill out. I almost smile at her bluntness. “You could have warned me. I can help you find something,” she says. I feel a flicker of hope, and I lift my head to look at her.
Vi is wearing a long, strapless brown dress that flows elegantly around her with high heels that are a shade darker than the dress. Her gold earrings, which match the bracelets on her right hand, sway like tiny chandeliers with every movement. For a second, I think there might be a chance, but then she adds, “I can see if there are any jobs available at Pa—I mean, at Blackmoon. Like I told you, my family has a lot of pull there. Plus, Lily misses Az terribly. You still haven’t responded to my text about when they can play again,” she finishes with a hint of annoyance, narrowing her eyes slightly.
I cringe. “I’m sorry, Vi. It’s been rough the last few days, but we’ll set it up soon,” I say. “And the job, unfortunately, it’s too far away for me to commute.” It’s not a lie, but it’s not the whole truth either. The truth is that Ethan will be there, and he doesn’t want me there. It’ll be too messy.
Vi seems to think for a moment. “You can work at Moonlight at night,” she suggests.
Moonlight? I blink. “The nightclub?” I ask, confused.
“Yes,” Vi replies smoothly. “Ethan owns the place.”
Wait. What?
Ethan owns the Moonlight Nightclub?
The memory of that night when I petulantly asked him if he owned the place hits me like a slap.
Of course he does.
Oh, God.
He must be laughing at me even now. Looking back, I realize he didn’t answer my bold question.
My face burns with embarrassment, and I immediately blurt out to change the subject, “I can’t work there either. I have no one to watch my son at night.” Not to mention I’d be too visible for *them* to find me. It’s too risky.
“Oh, I see,” she says, looking up at the darkening sky. A few drops of rain are starting to fall more frequently as the icy wind picks up. Vi reaches into her bag on her shoulder and pulls out her phone. She glances at the screen and curls her lips before looking at me again. “Alright. But we’ll find something else, Allie. I’ll check to see if there are any daytime jobs available and let you know,” she offers. Knowing her, I think if there isn’t an opening, she’ll end up making one up.
There has to be a flaw somewhere. Is there a hairy back hiding under the fancy dress she’s wearing? Violet seems like the friend anyone would ask God for.
“It’s okay, Vi. Really. Don’t worry about it,” I say, raising my hands like in surrender. I don’t want to take advantage of the only friend I have and her goodwill.
Just then, my bus finally pulls up, wheezing as it slows. “I’ve got to go, Vi. That’s my bus.”
She widens her eyes. “What?”
I point to the bus coming in the distance for her in response. “My car broke down.”
“You’re not getting on that bus,” she declares, sounding utterly scandalized. “I’ll drive you home. It’s the least I can do.”
No. No. No. She can’t know where I live. I’ve already embarrassed myself enough today. “I live really close to here, don’t worry,” I quickly add, starting to sweat with anxiety. Suddenly, the wind doesn’t feel so cold on my skin anymore.
“No way. You gave me a ride once, and now it’s my turn. After all, what are friends for if not to help others, huh?” She gives me a big smile. I shift my gaze at the bus and then look back at her and give a short nod. “Okay, let’s go.”
Not many minutes later, we are already heading towards my house with a few directions I’ve given her.
“Allie, I need the full address to get there. What’s your address?” Vi finally asks.
I hesitate for a moment before I search the address in the car GPS, and Vi immediately widens her chestnut eyes.
“What? Do you live in this neighborhood? Az and you?” she almost yells in horror, looking away from the front and at me before looking back forward.
“I... Uhm,” I don’t even know what to say. My face burns with embarrassment.
“I’m sorry,” Vi says. “Fuck. I’m sorry, Allie. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just... this neighborhood isn’t known as a safe place...”
“Yeah... I’m looking for a new place. Don’t worry. It’s only temporary.”
When she pulls up to the address of the building, Vi has her knuckles tight on the steering wheel. “This is your place?” she asks.
I wince at her tone and lower my eyes to my hands. I’m so ashamed.
“Yep,” I answer as I open the door and jump out of her fancy car. “Thanks, Vi. For everything. Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, but I promise I’ll set up something for our kids to play together as soon as I can. About me staying at your house... I can’t really repay you... Thank you again.” My eyes focus on her throat instead of looking up at her.
“I don’t want repayment. I helped you because I wanted to.” Her tone of confusion and indignation makes me look at her. But she’s looking around my building. Clenching her jaw, she says before going on her way. “Take care of yourself, Allie.”
“You too,” I say, looking at her car zooming away from me at a much faster speed than when she picked me up.
Good. As she said, this neighborhood is not safe. She doesn’t belong in a place like this.
And if I have to be honest with myself, one of the reasons I won’t take the job she offers me in Blackmoon is because I’m worried about what this would result for her and her family. Me being there is a constant threat to her and the people she loves most.
How would I live with myself knowing I’ve brought devastation to her doorstep if they show up there looking for me?
That I’m the catalyst for the people she loves and cares about? I don’t want *another* bloodshed.
Okay, I get that their place is like a fortress, but I can subject her to this possible threat. My fight isn’t one she’s asked for.
A chuckle bordering on a sob slips through.
But I swallow immediately when I spot Mr. Clyde coming out of the building.
“Mr. Clyde, please, can I talk to you for a moment?” I walk over to him.
He flicks his eyes up and down, assessing me in a way that creeps me out. “What do you want?” His voice is gruff.
“Please, Mr. Clyde, I need more time to fix, uhm, the things that need fixing in the apartment. Just a few more days, that’s all I’m asking,” I say, looking him in the eye.
Two scowling guys appear around him, their faces as hard as the concrete we’re standing on. Mr. Clyde gives them a quick nod, and they disappear back into the building without saying a word.
He leans in closer, his breath hot against my face. “Don’t make me repeat myself,” he speaks through clenched teeth. “After all, I already rented the apartment for someone else.”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut. “What?” I blurt out louder than I meant to. “But, but, but I won’t be able to fix everything in time!”
He coldly stares at me again, his fingers tapping a slow rhythm on his chin as he strokes his goatee. “Come with me,” is all he says before turning on his heel and striding back into the building.
Moments later, we’re standing in front of one of the battered doors of the basement apartments.
“Open it,” he says from beside me. I fumble with the handle and push the door open, gagging as the musty odor hits me full force. The apartment is a dingy studio, not much better than the one I’m in now, but at least the furniture isn’t completely destroyed.
“This studio is empty,” he starts to say from behind me. Well, given the rundown nature of the place, I can guess why, Mr. Clyde. “The rent’s the same as what you’re paying now, plus half the cost of the damage in your current apartment. You do that, and we’ll call it even,” he offers, his tone businesslike.
“What do you mean?” I ask, turning to look at him.
He waves his hand in front of his nose as if trying to get the stench out of it, grimacing. “You choose. Either you move out of the other apartment tomorrow, or you move here, and you don’t have to pay for the damage you have done.”
“But this place is at least half the size of the other one,” not to mention the stench in here is much stronger, and the mold, oh god.
“It’s your choice,” Mr. Clyde raises his hand with the key to the place in my direction.
I take a deep breath and immediately regret it as the rot soaks my senses. I struggle not to cough. “Okay,” I whisper, my shoulders slumping in defeat.
The moment I take the key, he immediately turns and leaves the place. “Don’t forget to grab your stuff from the other place,” he says as he walks away without looking back. “Anything you leave behind ain’t my problem.”
I glance around at the grimy walls and water-stained ceiling. The smell—the rancid air—it’s like something died in here. And then I wince at the dirt caked on the ridges of the key in my hand.
From down the hall, I hear Mr. Clyde grumble to himself, “Damn, this place reeks too fucking much.”

🐺 🐺 🐺

“Mom!”
“Hi, buddy,” I say with a smile before hugging my son tightly.
“Did you come to pick me up?” he asks with hope in his eyes.
“I...” I stand up and look at Logan, who is leaning against the white front door with his arms crossed. “Um, not today, honey. But I promise you can come back with me in two days.”
Logan’s eyes widen with fury, and I hear Chelsea’s loud laugh on the other side of the door.
“What?” Az looks at me with pain in his eyes and then shifts his gaze to his father. Logan nods at my son, and Az says, looking at me with tears on the verge of his eyes. “Dad’s right... You don’t want me anymore!”
“What?” I widen my eyes and try to crouch down to talk to him again, but my son bolts inside the house and slams the door, stopping me from getting in.
Logan laughs next to me, almost like a mock.
“What did you say to him?” I ask him furiously.
“Watch out,” he threatens. “I told the kid the truth.”
“That’s not the truth, and you know it,” I reply through clenched teeth.
“Lolo, come in already!” Chelsea yells from the other side of the door.
“Let me in so I can explain it to him, please, Logan!” I say.
“What are you going to give me for this?” he asks with a smirk.
“I’m literally unemployed! I have nothing else to offer you,” I reply impatiently. “Actually,” I say more quietly, “I wanted to ask you for help. I need some money to—”
Logan interrupts me. “Are you crazy? You owe me money, Alicent!” he shouts, and then socks me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me instantly.
I shouldn’t have asked him. He’s never helped me financially before, he isn’t going to start now. Not after I mistreated him with my tone.
He comes over and yanks my hair, forcing me to stand up even though it hurts.
I shake my head. “Please, don’t, Logan,” I try to say, but my voice is low and cracking. He raises his hand, ready to punch me in the face. I blink, “Please, don’t do this. I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I won’t bother you anymore!”
My stomach stings like something is ripped. I want to cry out, but I know better. Yet, low sobs break free from deep within my chest.
“Shut the fuck up,” he snarls, pulling my hair back hard. My neck feels like it’s going to break. With his other hand, he holds my arm so tight that I can’t stand still. I squirm. The pain is too much. He will break it! “Don’t you dare talk to me like that again!”
He releases me abruptly, throwing me to the floor before entering his house and slamming the door loudly.
I get up from the ground, trying to stand still and control my breathing.
God... My head is throbbing!
After I got the studio key, Logan called me, saying Az needed me, so I came here right away.
I drag myself to the nearest bus stop that I’ve just left while I wipe away the tears that insist on falling nonstop. I glance at my arm, where Logan squeezed it tightly.
The swelling foreshadows the bruise it will bear tomorrow.